Other side of the World
by Carriecurry
Summary: Bella is secretly in love with Edward Cullen, but so is her classmate Jessica. Jessica hits on Edward, and Bella is furious. What will happen when Bella decides to get him anyways? AH.
1. In Concert

**This is a story where Bella and Edward do not know each other. Jessica hits on Edward, what will Bella do? All human.  
And I do not own the characters, they just fit very good in my story. Thanks to Stephenie Meyer for lending me them.**

**On the Other Side of the World**

**Chapter 1**

_Bella's point of view._

I spotted them at across the room, on the other side of the open space that led to the ground floor. Edward Cullen and Jessica. They were chatting animatedly; I could only guess it was about the concert that was going on. He had just been playing with his band, and was waiting for the host to announce the winner of the battle of the bands.

Jessica happened to be backstage because of a friend that had access, and backstage was where I could see them now. She talked and showed with her entire body language that she was interested in him. He didn't seem to dislike her attention; he seemed to revel in it. She moved closer to him, and I felt my hands balling into fists when he bent over and placed his head beside her chin to clearer hear what she was saying.

A heavy metal band was playing, they were quite noisy. I usually like that kind of music, it's okay for entertaining purposes, and now it matched my mood perfectly. My insides were heavy with anger, just like the music was heavy. I was watching Edward and Jessica intently, feeling slightly like a stalker. After all, I had only spoken to Edward twice, and didn't really know him at all. But I really liked him. Not in the way you feel comfortable with someone in an instant and become friends, no, this was something more. I had a crush on him, a bad one. And it didn't get better either, when sometimes our eyes would meet over the cafeteria in school.

The game on the other side was developing. Jessica was flirting with all her might and I had to admit that she was pretty attractive. If I hadn't known her as well as I did, and I was a guy, I could easily have been charmed by her. However, I was not a guy, and I knew her. She was that kind of girl that got a lot of attention from guys, and she used it for all it was worth. There were rumors about her, nasty rumors, and I was pretty sure most of them were true.

All I wanted to do was yell at Edward, tell him to stop talking to her; I wanted him to talk to me instead. In fact, if the world had been fair, it should have been me. Had I not worked my head off for the last weeks trying to get him to notice me? Hadn't I tried so hard to make contact with him? And Jessica had a new boyfriend every fortnight, it didn't seem like she made an effort at all. Despite the fact that she had a boyfriend at the moment, she kept flirting with him in an awfully obvious way. My friend followed my gaze and let out a snort.

"What is Jessica doing flirting with Edward Cullen?"

I shook my head. "I don't know."

"My god she is a loose little bitch. Doesn't she have a boyfriend?"

I nodded silently.

The truth was, nobody knew about my feelings for Edward Cullen, and that was the way I was going to keep it. I knew I had no chance in ever getting his attention, so I had figured it would be for the best if nobody were to know about my defeat. I wouldn't be able to stand their sympathetic looks if he turned me down, or worse, if he started messing around with Jessica.

It seemed like Jessica was trying to persuade him into something. She moved a little closer to the railing and looked down at the stage where the heavy metal band was still playing. She turned to him and stretched out her right arm. My insides squirmed. She tried to make him take the two steps over to her, waved her hand in the way people do when they are trying to summon someone. He came, and they both stared at the band for a minute. I noticed with a small glint of hope that he was keeping a small space between them. I had to beat back that hope; it is after all normal to keep a distance to people you don't know. Unless you are trying to get them in bed, of course, and I couldn't picture them doing that tonight.

I tried to focus on the band that was playing, but I could barely see the band from the place I was sitting. I glanced furiously in direction of the stage, trying to make the music take me away from this. I was sure my eyes were completely black and filled with rage. My friend poked me in the arm, laughing.

"Seriously, it can't shock you that much that she is using her charm on yet another guy?"

"No, it's not that at all," I smiled at her.

That was an outright lie, but my friend didn't know the circumstances. In fact, had it been any other girl that was flirting with him, I wouldn't have reacted so violently, I was sure about that. I would have been resentful, but not angry. It was just the fact that Jessica made me feel like a failure. Edward was the guy that I had been trying to get for weeks, and she had him in her hand just like that. Seeing her being so confident and sure of herself made me feel like a common mouse.

I never really liked Jessica as a person and pretty much everyone in my circle of acquaintances agreed with me on that. She wasn't even nice to be around, and I couldn't understand why the people who made a habit of being unpalatable were to get all the bonuses in life!

My friend got up and to a free spot by the rail, and after a moment I followed her. She was watching the band, and I was trying to, but I got distracted by Edward and Jessica on the other side. I was on the opposite side of the room and to their right, closer to the stage. I was sure they would see me any time if they looked up instead of down to the stage. Their conversation had ceased, they were listening to the music. She said something to him, and he raised his head to catch what she was saying.

For a moment, our eyes locked, and I was lost. All the sounds disappeared and all I could think about was the stabbing pain in my chest caused by the thought that she had a huge advantage to me when it came to this guy. His eyes looked black because of the dimmed lights in the club, but I knew they were really green. A very nice color green.

The moment was gone as fast as it had begun, and the music came back. They chatted on and I felt that I really needed to get out of there. I felt that I needed to get out of my body as well; I wished I was someone else, someone fun and exciting, like her.  
The heavy metal band was finished playing, my friend sighed happily. She had never been a fan of metal, but I wished they had never stopped playing. My friend looked at me.

"That was the last band, let's get out of here."

"Just a minute, okay? I really want to see who wins." That was not entirely true either. Even though I wanted nothing more than to get out of there, I also wanted to see what happened between him and her. Hopefully, he would walk away from her and hang out with his mates or something.

The host came on to the stage and announced the winning band. I wasn't surprised when the host announced Edward's band as the winners, they were the best band present. In the crowd of people who wanted to hug him and congratulate, Jessica was pushed out of the way. I smirked and turned to my friend.

"Okay, let's go."

I was unable to get rid of the anger in the bottom of my stomach, and when I saw Jessica walking out from backstage with a complacent smile on her face, I wanted nothing more than to walk over to her and hit her in the face. I wanted to smash those pretty features and make her unattractive to any guy that would ever look at her. I knew that was the stupidest thing I could ever do, so I suppressed the urge. It wouldn't do any good.

Instead, I grabbed my jacket and walked out of the club, my insides filled with rage. I had to do something about my jealousy.

**Should I write another chapter? I would very much appreciate a review, please let me know what you think! **


	2. Shaking Hands

**A/N: Thanks for reviewing guys, you know who you are. I hope you'll enjoy this next chapter also!**

**On the Other Side of the World**

**Chapter 2**

School that next day was horrible. Because we had separate classes the first half of the day, I hadn't seen Edward or Jessica this morning. I kept imagining them together, not paying attention at all in class. I knew it was pretty unlikely that they would hook up or something, seeing as they spoke for the first time yesterday, but I had a feeling they had gotten a pretty good connection.

I could easily visualize Jessica looking at Edward with that look she used solely for flirting purposes and him responding with his lovely smile.  
My insides squirmed at the thought and I decided to put it out of my mind for the time being. It probably was not going to happen, at least not today.

An after all, it wasn't like I had dibs on Edward just because I had a crush on him. From what I had heard, there were plenty of girls that were in love with him, and he was always surrounded by at least five girls whenever he went to a party.

In the beginning, I would never have guessed that he was so popular. I didn't think he had many friends, except for his best friend Emmet, who he spent all his time with. I had labeled him a loner or a freak. In my opinion, he was handsome, but not extraordinary, but I think most of the girls in school disagreed with me on that. Word on the street was that Edward was a hunk.

I had been very wrong indeed when it came to the case of Edward Cullen.

He had plenty of friends; he just preferred hanging out with his best friend to having tons of party pals. From fragments of conversation that had drifted my way during lunch or class, I had figured out that he was a decent guy, always polite and nice. He'd walk by my table or sit at a table next to me, and I would instantly tune my ears in to what he was saying. The things he said were of almost no importance to me, I just loved to listen to his voice. Of course I found him handsome, but it was his voice that really attracted me.

I could very well remember the first time I heard him speak. I was sitting at a bench right outside of school, enjoying the sunlight. My eyes were closed and my face turned against the sun. I was daydreaming, but was ripped out of my dream when I heard an unfamiliar voice. I didn't know who it belonged to, but I knew in an instant that I was in love with the keeper.  
Whenever he talked, he carried me to new worlds, to places I had never been before. His voice was deeper than the other guys at his age, probably a baritone, and had a rusty tenor to it. I had never heard a voice quite like it before, and the first word that came to my mind was sexy. His voice was definitely sexy.

I shook my head violently. I should be focusing on Spanish, not thinking about my love life. I spent the rest of the morning in the same manner, trying without luck to push Edward Cullen out of my head.

I walked into the cafeteria together with Angela, ready for lunch. We sat down at our regular table together with Mike, Eric, Ben, Jessica and Lauren. I greeted them all happily, but I was mentally throwing daggers at Jessica. Had I forgotten about yesterday? No, most certainly not.

I felt more uncomfortable around Jessica than usual, and I wished she would sit at a different table. Almost none of us liked her, and pretty much the only reason she and Lauren were here was because Jessica was together with Mike. I guessed I would just have to get used to her.

"Who thinks Edward Cullen's band deserved winning yesterday?" Lauren suddenly asked.

"Me!" Jessica exclaimed. She looked fairly flushed at the mention of Edward for a girl that was currently in a relationship.

"They were the best, don't you think?" she followed up.

"Yeah," I agreed with her. "They were good, but I didn't know Edward played in a band."

There were my lies again. Of course I knew Edward played in a band, and that was one of the reasons why I went to the concert in the first place. But nobody needed to know that.

"You didn't know?" Jessica looked surprised and then smug. "He told me that they have been playing together for a year."

"Oh, really?" Mike abruptly said. His tone startled me. He didn't sound very happy, something that implied he had heard about the encounter the night before.

Jessica nodded, apparently oblivious to her boyfriend's discomfort. Everybody else realized though, so Angela quickly started talking about a movie she and Jessica saw last week.  
Jessica then lounged herself into a minute-by-minute description of the movie.

I let my thoughts and eyes wander around, and they suddenly crossed the person I wanted to see the most in the entire world. Edward Cullen was walking into the cafeteria and I was thrilled.  
I had been thinking of ways to make contact with him for the last few weeks. My ideas stretched from dropping my books in front of him or "accidentally" crashing into him in the hall to just start talking to him about something. I knew I didn't have the guts for neither, but now I got an entirely new idea. I could simply walk up to him and tell him his band played great the previous evening! That was a good idea, I thought.

Edward had entered the cafeteria alone, and I saw Emmet sitting at the table right behind me. That meant Edward would have to pass by me on his way. I stood up, pretending to be going to the bathroom. When Edward came up behind me, I turned and seemingly noticed him for the first time. I figured it would be better to pretend I didn't know very well who he was. I didn't want to seem like a stalker or anything.  
While turning, I took in his appearance. He was wearing a green t-shirt that looked astonishing with his light skin and bronze-colored hair. He was lean and looked fit, and his hair was a structured mess.

"Hey, your band played at the concert yesterday, right?" I spoke too quickly, but it didn't seem like he had any trouble understanding me.

"Yes, we did. You were there?"

I nodded, slightly dazed by his looks and beautiful, singing voice. "You guys were great!"

"Thank you." He smiled widely at me and held out his right hand. "By the way, I'm Edward. And you are?"

Shit. I had forgotten to introduce myself. I felt like I knew him so well that I had forgotten he probably didn't feel the same way.  
I looked at his hand. No guy had ever given me his hand in that way before, so I was instantly charmed.

"I'm Isabella. But you can call me Bella." I smiled back and took his hand.

When I touched his skin, the most glorious sensation filled my body. It almost felt like I was going to faint, and at the same time like an electric current was moving from his hand and into my body. I looked into his eyes while stating my name, and saw his green eyes were smiling at me. I truly wished the moment would last forever.  
Nevertheless, Edward eventually broke the magic.

"It was nice to meet you, Bella. But I have to go, my friend is getting impatient with me." He pointed at Emmet sitting by the next table. Emmet was looking annoyed and amused at the same time, and was clearly waiting for Edward's arrival.

"Sure, sure." I replied. He let go of my hand, blinked at me and headed towards Emmet.

I sat down at my table, floating on a pink cloud. This couldn't possibly be real, I thought. I was not the kind of person that could talk to strangers, and at least not strangers that I was in love with! But my pounding heart told me that it was indeed real.

I was so proud I had finally worked up the courage to talk to Edward Cullen, I felt like a totally different person. I looked up from my hands and smiled at my friends around the table.  
Angela was smiling and looked like had a hard time not bursting out with what she had perceived in the previous minutes, Ben was looking at his sandwich and neither Lauren nor Eric looked like they had noticed what had just happened. Mike was looking at Jessica, who was staring at me, her eyes black with rage.

That girl really ought to work on her temper.

**A/N: Are you happy? Confused? Disappointed? Don't hesitate to let me know, constructive criticism is always welcome. I'd love it if you gave me a pin point as to what you think!**


	3. The First Look

**A/N: Here's a new chapter for you guys. Thanks to all of you lovely people who have rewieved, you're great! Thanks also to all of you who have favorited, put my story on alert, and all of you who have just read it. I'd love to hear what you think too, so feel free to write a little something in the box below!**

**On the Other Side of the World**

**Chapter 3**

A week had passed since my last encounter with Edward. I had seen him in the halls and around, but never talked to him. Often our eyes would meet when we passed, but we never acknowledged each other. I therefore hadn't gotten any closer to knowing him.

However, Jessica had become friends with him. When they were not hanging out, she spent every minute talking about him. Mike soon got tired of being neglected and broke up with her, but she didn't seem to care. Mike was just another guy to her now; she had her eyes on Edward.

I couldn't help feeling down; it seemed Jessica got everything I wanted!

Saturday that week, I walked into Mike right outside of the drug store. We were talking when a familiar figure appeared in the corner of my eye. I would recognize the personage exiting the store anywhere, it was Edward. His bronze hair was hidden underneath a green and blue cap that fit nicely with his eye color.  
I noticed he wasn't wearing his glasses, and my heart skipped a beat because of his astonishing looks.

While talking to Mike, I continued to steal looks at Edward. He was wearing a dark rain coat, like any other citizen on this particularly rainy day, and in his hand he had a math book.  
I didn't understand why _he _was outside of the drug store with a math book on a Saturday. I had had my suspicions that he was smarter that he looked, but why he would be doing math on a Saturday was more that I could comprehend.

He seemed to be waiting for someone, walking restlessly from the bike stand on one side of the shop to the tree on the other, crossing the road and walking back again. I was very distracted from my conversation with Mike, turning to look for Edward.

Once, our eyes met when he was on the other side of the road, and I quickly turned back to Mike, afraid I was being too obvious by looking at him. Mike looked at me with an unreadable emotion in his eyes, and I hoped he didn't know what I was so distracted by. I really didn't want him to know, it felt like the amount of people who had come to know of my crush was increasing by the minute.

Edward went into the store, and I decided it was time to go home; I just had to buy today's newspapers first.

I walked into the store, knowing that he would be in there, hoping to catch a glimpse of him. When I walked in, he was just done paying something in the register. He took his stuff and walked towards the door, and I realized that he had to pass me in order to get out.

I looked at his face while he was approaching, looking for any sign of recognition. When he was about two meters away, he met my gaze and smiled. I was very close to him now; I could have touched him if I wanted to. However, the thought didn't cross my mind. The only thing in my mind was him and a word that I was urging my lips to say in return to his smile.

"Hey." I smiled widely at him, so happy that he had acknowledged me. I was sure I was blushing, but I didn't mind.

"Hey," he said, and then he was gone, the door closing slowly and soundlessly behind him.

I walked straight ahead, towards the newspapers, hiding my grin from the cashier. I couldn't stop smiling. This was a step in the right direction. Edward had actually greeted me, on his own initiative!  
I was practically in seventh heaven when realization came crashing down on me.

I heard Lauren's voice from a party two weeks ago, telling me something that would very much explain the math book in his hand.

_I was invited to a costume party. I didn't really know the hosts, but they had decided to invite everybody from our grade, and it would be rude not to attend. I didn't really feel like going in the first place, but I had a faint hope that Edward would be there._

_He wasn't and I was very disappointed. When after a couple of hours nothing exciting had happened, I was about to get my things and go home. I was talking to Lauren, barely being able to keep my disappointment invisible, when I noticed she had stopped talking and was looking at something over my shoulder. _

_"What are you looking at?" I asked her._

_"There's this guy that I kind of like, and his best friend just arrived," Lauren replied with an intent look in her eyes. "They are always together, so I'm hoping he's coming too."  
I turned my head and looked at the guy she was staring at. It was Emmet, and that could only mean one thing. Edward was coming. And I had competition._

_I didn't know what to say to Lauren. I couldn't tell her that I liked Edward, but I couldn't let her take him either. I decided to stay for a little while more, hoping to see him.  
True enough, after a few minutes, Edward walked in the door. He looked smashing in a green shirt that fit well with his hair and eyes. I could see Lauren drooling over him, so I figured I had to take action._

_"So, you like Edward?" I asked, frantically searching a way to keep her occupied._

_"Yeah, he's gorgeous. But I don't think I have a chance on him, though." She said with her eyes still following him._

_"Why not?" I was seeing some hope in the darkness surrounding me._

_"Because first: he never dates. And second: he's in love with a girl in his math class. That's what the rumors say, anyways."_

_My little ray of hope faltered with every word from Lauren's mouth. I did not want to hear this, I wanted to cover my ears and not believe the words she was saying. It wasn't like I hadn't heard the whole "Edward Cullen doesn't date"-thing before, but this girl was new to me. I had to find out who she was._

_"No way? I would never have believed that! Who is the girl?" The fake cheeriness in my voice must have seemed genuine, because Lauren turned on her gossip voice._

_"Jessica."  
_

My world crashed to pieces when the memory returned. What was I going to do? I had to come up with a plan to get Edward interested in me, and it had to be a good one!


	4. Confessing

**AN: Sorry for the late update everybody, I've been suffering from a cold and I've**** had too much to do to even sleep. Thanks to all my fantastic reviewers and all of you others.  
Hope you enjoy this next chapter, even though it's more of a preface to the rest of the story. ****Also, some of you wanted me to write a chapter in Edward's POV, what do you think about that? Leave a review and tell me!**

**On the other side of the World**

**Chapter 4**

"Okay, so, here's the deal: I have a crush on Edward Cullen."  
It was Sunday afternoon and Angela was hanging out at my house. This was the first time I had ever told anyone about my feelings for Edward, and I blushed when I realized.

"I know," she replied with a smile. "Did you only realize that now?"

"No, I have known for a while; I just try to keep quiet about it."

"You always stop talking when he passes our table and you're pretty obvious while looking at him," she said. "It wasn't very hard to figure out. I think you should go for him. He's your kind of guy!"  
I laughed.  
Angela has the best developed social antenna of everybody I know. She always knows what people feel, and if two people are in love, chances are she will know before they do themselves.

"Thanks, I guess?" I mumbled and she smiled and raised her eyebrows in return, encouraging me to keep talking.

"Um." I was hesitating, tearing on a nail. "So… I really like Edward. There's a problem, though, and I need your help with it."  
She nodded to let me know she was giving me her undivided attention.

"I've heard he is in love with someone else!"

Angela's eyes widened.  
"Really? Who would that be?"

"Jessica," I said through my teeth, feeling defeated.

"You just use your charm and he'll forget everything about Jessica in an instant!"

"Thanks Angs, but I'm not so sure about that. She is spending an awful lot of time together with him lately." My voice broke on that last word, showing just how much it really bothered me. I thought of them sitting together at lunch, her eyes hungry for him and his eyes happy with the attention. All the feelings I had been bottling up inside of me seemed to pour over the edges and suddenly I felt my eyes filling up with tears.

"Seriously, she gets so many guys," I cried, "Why him? He is the first boy I really like, and she had to like him too!" Tears were streaming down my face and I felt utterly horrible.  
Angela laid her arm around my shoulders, pulling me into a tight hug.

"Darling Bella, don't cry. You'll manage, and do you know why? Because you're a fantastic person, you're pretty and intelligent and you're kind to everybody! I don't know whether Edward is in love with Jessica-"  
I sobbed loudly at the picture her words conjured in my mind, but she was determined to continue her sentence.

"- _or not_," she emphasized, "but I'll be here next to you always, no matter what. And together, we'll get through this."  
I tightened the hug for a moment before I let her go. I looked at her thankfully, drying away my tears.

"Angela, you're my best friend. I hope you know that."

"Yes, and you're mine."

***

An hour later, there was a heap of tissues on the floor, magazines, a big notebook, various pens and two glasses of ice tea spread over my bed. Angela and I were lying on our stomachs on top of everything, making a scrap book.  
Angela said that if I wanted to impress Edward, I had to feel good about myself, and the best way to do that was by doing something fun. That is why she insisted we made a scrap book for inspiration every day.

We cut out jeans and shirts, shoes and underwear, hairstyles and accessories and basically anything that would inspire me in some way. We even cut out make-up articles in pretty colors, even though I'd never buy any of it, just for decoration. We'd comment the outfit or hairstyle, writing down how I would be able to carry it off and what I should wear with it.

We had just healed from a minute-long laughing fit when Angela suddenly surprised me.

"I think we should make a plan," she said. "To ensure that Edward gets his eyes open about you."  
Seriously, sometimes I think she can read minds.

"I also thought about that," I replied with an astounded look on my face. "I was hoping you could help me with some ideas?"

"Put on some music and let's think!"

I put on a CD and we lay absorbed in our own minds a couple of minutes. The music was delicate and calming and it seemed to inspire Angela. Once in a while she would turn over and write something down in the notebook and then lie back and close her eyes, whereas I tried to recall the ideas I had been pondering over yesterday.  
At the end of the third song she sat up, and I quickly turned off the music.

"Did you come up with anything?" I asked.

She nodded.  
" You know how Edward is known to turn down girls as often as other people change their socks?" she didn't wait for my answer; I knew very well and she knew it.

"Therefore, you have to become such an important part of his life that he simply can't turn you down when you tell him what you feel! You have to become a close friend, one that he cannot live without, and then you let him see you're interested."

"But how am I going to become friends with him?" I demanded.

"I think it would be best if you…"

She stunned me with her ideas. I felt mine faded in comparison, she was just so good! I slightly wondered whether she had done this before, if not she was a natural. When she had told me what she was thinking, I spontaneously hugged her.

"Angela, you're _amazing_!"

"Thank you, your ideas and mine together will be the recipe of success. But we have got to have really good timing to make it work properly. We might actually have to stalk him for a day to get all the details, like his time table and stuff." she said.

I snickered. Stalking Edward wasn't something I'd refuse to do; I loved any excuse I got for being close to him.  
"I think if we get to the stalking tomorrow, we can begin the first phase the next day," I said. "Right?"

"Yeah. You know, I'm really looking forward to stalking Edward Cullen," Angela said slyly. I myself was really anxious to get started, so I blurted out

"Do you think we should we wear black to school tomorrow, like spies do when they're stalking someone?"

"Nah, I don't think that's a good idea. We'd be too suspicious. After all, we're just going to get his time table, right?"

I agreed and we made the final arrangements for the next day.

***

There was a herd of butterflies in my stomach and they were making a mess out of my nerves. It was bad enough I was going to stalk my crush around school the next day, but if these butterflies wouldn't disappear, I'd be doing it with black circles under my eyes.

Finally, after hours of tossing and imagining all things that could go wrong tomorrow, I fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

**Constructive criticism is always appreciated!**


	5. A play in seven acts

**AN: Hi everybody, and thanks for reading, reviewing and waiting for so long for this update. I worked hard on the chapter, so please let me know what you think! If you have a favourite line or part, I'd love to know.**

**On the other side of the World**

**Chapter 5**

_Bella's plan for getting Edward Cullen – a play in seven acts_

1. Make eye contact over the cafeteria during lunch, to let him know I'm here.

Edward:  
While eating lunch today, my eyes accidentally caught a couple of chocolate brown ones. I caught them while turning my head, and when I realized whose eyes they were and threw my head back, she was not looking at me anymore. I felt my heart make a surprising turn and suddenly I had trouble breathing because of the longing for those eyes. I turned back to Jessica who was chatting on about some party this weekend. I was not paying attention anymore.

Bella:  
Monday morning, and my eyes felt like they were glued together. My head was heavy and I had trouble concentrating. It was bad enough to be so tired, but first-period-calculus was perhaps my least favourite subject. My head got heavier and heavier and my eyelids started to fall. I struggled hard to keep them open but when my head started spinning I shut them and everything was black.

The next thing I felt was Angela's elbow punching me in a spot right below my left ribs. I woke with a start to see the entire class gawking and giggling at me.

"Maybe you would care to pay attention in my class, Miss Swan?" Mr. Varner said to me with humour and annoyance evident in his eyes.

I nodded weakly, my head still drowsy from the sleep.

"I'll let it pass for this time, but I must say, I honestly expected more from you than to fall asleep in the classroom."

I nodded again, trying to make myself blend in with the wall. Why, oh why did I have to fall asleep?  
"How long did I sleep?" I asked Angela under my breath.

"I'm not sure, maybe ten minutes," she answered, smiling.

"Crap," I muttered.

"Didn't you get any sleep last night?" she asked.

"Not much, no." I said to her, blue circles under my eyes. I didn't need to tell her that my mind had been slightly preoccupied with thinking about a certain Mr. Edward Cullen.

The bell rang and we sprinted out of the classroom. It was essential that we found out which subject Edward had for second period. Conveniently enough, Ben Cheney, our lunch buddy who had English literature with Edward first period, also had science with him second period and individual studies third.

Ben was from that morning on our informant. He had several subjects together with Edward, and he was a steady and trustworthy guy. I trusted him to not talk about our plan. In fact, Ben was head first in love with Angela, and therefore willing to give us any details. It seemed, however, that Angela hadn't noticed yet. That was unusual for her, but I was sure she was bound to figure it out eventually. If not, I'd simply have to help her.

We sat down at our regular table for lunch, and I was glad to notice I had the perfect view towards Edward at his table. Jessica was sitting next to him, chatting animatedly about something and he was listening apprehensively. In a glimpse I saw a couple of green eyes turning my way. I quickly looked away, didn't want to be too obvious in checking him out.

A couple of minutes later I risked a glance at him again. He looked stunning in a dark blue sweater with a light blue shirt underneath. His toned chest was nicely highlighted, I noticed before I looked up into his face and saw green emeralds looking back at me.

I realized Edward had caught me looking at his chest and blushed. I stared intently into my table the next half hour, but once in a while I could feel the warmth of someone's gaze touching me lightly.

-

2. "Accidentally" walk into the room while he is rehearsing on the piano.

Edward:  
My heart raced when I heard her voice, and when she smiled I was sure my chest was going to explode. I couldn't think straight, I couldn't talk straight, and I was sure I couldn't walk straight if I tried. In the two seconds it took her to smile to me she changed my world. I found myself desperately wanting to get to know this girl, something that had rarely occurred before in my life. I didn't know why, but suddenly I craved the company of a certain Bella Swan.

Bella:  
Edward left the cafeteria at the end of lunch with Angela sneaking after him. She and I had individual studies fourth period, and all the time in the world to find out which class Edward had.  
Three minutes after they had left I was standing, out of breath, next to Angela outside of room 412. Edward had piano lessons here.

Edward surprised me; he had a talent for playing the piano, more so than I had imagined. I knew he was an extraordinary drummer, but that obviously wasn't his only quality.

The tune he was playing was an emotional tune, the treble on top of the more serious tenor giving the piece a sad feeling. It touched me and all I wanted was to reach out to the door handle a centimetre from my left hand and open the door. I wanted to see the boy playing, touch him, and tell him it was beautiful. That he was beautiful.  
The music faded into silence, the song ending with a muffled chord. I could hear Edward moving and talking to someone.

"This is the perfect time for part 2 of our plan!" Angela whispered intently.

I shook my head. "There is no way I'm walking into that room."

" Yes you are!"

As in slow motion I saw her hand reach out and pull down the door handle. She drew the door towards herself, exposing me to the people inside the room. I blinked stupidly, my heart beat quickening as I saw Edward by the piano and his music teacher standing by the window. Edward's head was bowed, like he was getting a scolding, and neither had heard the door open.

"I want more emotion!" His teacher said sharply before turning and seeing me, looking confused.

"Umm..." I said nervously, not knowing what to say and my eyes flickering from him to Edward's back. "I think I'm in the wrong room...?"

Edwards head snapped up when I spoke, his eyes hard and resigned when they met mine. Suddenly there was a flash of recognition and he lightened up.  
"Hello," he grinned at me.

"Hi," I answered him, too distressed to even remember my own name and let alone smile. I could see his face fall a slight bit.

"Sorry, I mean... Umm... I didn't mean to, like ... burst in." I stuttered, just as much for interrupting the lesson as for being rude to Edward. I couldn't form a coherent sentence and I wanted to cry. Why wasn't I able to say something witty to make him interested? I turned to walk out and met his emeralds one last time, determined to leave some kind of impression.

"You played great, by the way." I smiled before shutting door behind me.


	6. Number 3 and 4

**AN: Hope you'll enjoy this. Tried to finish it quickly, because I'm going on vacation for four weeks now and probably won't be able to update. I'll just let you know I have also written a poem that I d'd like to get feedback on, it's on my profile. :)  
I'd be thrilled if there were some reviews for me by the time I get back!**

**On the other side of the World**

**Chapter 6: **_Bella's plan for getting Edward Cullen - the number three and four_

3. Make friends with Emmet, to find out about Edward's interests

Edward:  
I was watching Bella having a conversation with Emmet and my insides squirmed uncomfortably. Her eyes suddenly wandered towards me. It might have been a product of my imagination, but for a moment I thought I could detect happiness over seeing me. Still unsure of myself, I smiled and looked away coolly. Only the beating of my heart revealed how I really felt.

Bella:  
Waiting to purchase my daily sandwich in the cafeteria on Thursday, I stood behind Emmet McCarty, the burly and big best friend of Edward. I had intentions of getting to know him to try to win Edward, but I still wasn't quite sure how.

He was talking to a girl with short, dark hair in front of him. Emmet seemed very interested in the shrimp pizza, and I acted on a whim when he took a piece.  
"You should be careful with that," I told him.

Emmet turned around with a confused expression. "Sorry? Me?"

"Y-Yeah," I stuttered, not very adequate at improvising, "A friend of mine got really ill from the shrimp pizza yesterday; I think they served bad leftovers from the day before. You should be careful."

"I didn't know… Maybe I ought to take the pepperoni instead…" Emmet muttered before quickly changing plates for a piece of pepperoni pizza instead.

"Thanks, I owe you one –" He looked questioning at me, wanting my name.

"Bella," I said and saw his eyebrows contract and smooth again in recognition. "And you must be Emmet?" I inquired further.

"Yeah I am, how do you know?"

"You play in that band, don't you? Uh… what's the name again?"

"Eloquent Ellie. Have you heard about us?"

I nodded. "I heard you at the battle of the bands a couple of weeks ago. You guys were great! I loved your funky sound; it's so fresh and happy. You're great musicians all of you."

"Alice, did you hear that?" Emmet turned and poked the girl in front of him in her shoulder. "We've got a fan here, Bella!" The girl, who I only now recognized as Alice, the singer in the band, turned and smiled at me.

"Do you like the music, or are you saying that just because you think our bass player is hot?" She asked in a suspicious tone. It was common knowledge that Jasper Withlock that played bass was a hunk, but also that he was dating Alice.

I laughed kindly. "Don't worry about Jasper, he's all yours. I really like your sound; I'm surprised because it's so different from what I usually listen to."  
"That's so cool!" She beamed at me. "What do you usually listen to?"

I blushed the faintest bit while listing my favorites. "In Flames, Dream Theater, Iron Maiden, Guns n' Roses, Nirvana and so on."

"My god, she is just like Edward, he's all about that stuff too." Alice shook her head disapprovingly and my heart made a jolt. "I think his favorite band is Nirvana, actually," she added while eyeing my Nevermind t-shirt.

I think I was a second from falling over when she said that. Nirvana was my all-time favorite band, and I was severely in love with Kurt Cobain a couple of years ago. Up to day's date, I had never found anyone who sang with a sexier voice than him.

"It is?" I asked in amazement. "Nirvana is my favorite also!"

Emmet looked smug and jolted Alice in the sides. "You know, we really should introduce her to Edward. It doesn't seem to work out with him and those bubble gum girls like Jessica, I can tell he's getting bored of her already – that is strictly confidential, though!" he added with a stern look and both Alice and I nodded.

"We're having a concert tomorrow," Alice suddenly said, "You should come!"

Emmet agreed enthusiastically and I blinked. Had Alice, Edward's sister, and Emmet, his best friend, just asked me to come to their concert? This was exceeding all expectations.  
"I'd love to!" I said, elated.

"Great! It's over at the club we played last time, at nine. Bring some friends and come! I might even introduce you to Edward," Alice blinked at me before she and Emmet turned and walked to their lunch table where Edward was sitting, staring absentmindedly at us. His gaze met mine and he smiled charily but then quickly averted his eyes. My heart beat frantically and didn't seem to want to quit, but I managed to get safely to my place next to Angela.

"What were you just talking to Emmet and Alice Cullen about?" She wondered.

"Let's just say it this way: we're going to Eloquent Ellie's concert tomorrow."

-

4. Crash into Edward in the hall and drop my books

Edward:  
Fate is a funny thing. Fate caused our encounter today, when I needed it the most. A body against mine, a giggle and a couple of chestnut brown eyes and I was lost. I'd do anything for her now.  
"I think I'll have to carry this for you to biology, it doesn't seem like you have enough arm strength…" I smiled down at her, her eyes beaming back.

Bella:  
I was standing by my locker before 5th period, desperately trying to extract my biology book from the mess inside. This was very difficult and exhausting work, it seemed as though the contents of my locker had united in an attempt to annoy me. I figured I'd need help and took a step back into the hall.  
I hit someone, but I didn't have to turn and look to know who it was. My backbone had turned into jelly, and an electric current was flowing in my veins. When a voice I had archived thoroughly in my mind said

"Watch it, will you,"

I turned around and, to my pleasure, looked up into the green eyes of Edward Cullen. I giggled.  
For a second he looked irritated, but then his features changed and he smiled at me.

"Hello, Bella, isn't it?"

I nodded, seeing the irony in this. Here I was in need of a hero, and he turned up. It was just too funny.  
"Sorry about that, I didn't mean to –" I laughed, but he interrupted me.

"Don't worry," he told me. "It's always a pleasure meeting you!"

My heart leaped and all of a sudden I didn't know what to do with my hands. If I let them free they'd end up in his hair, which would be immensely embarrassing. Instead I stuck them deeply into my jeans pockets.

"Thank you. I'm really sorry for bumping into you, but I was trying to get my biology book out of my locker. It's stuck under some books," I said to him while setting up a sad pout. Inside I was laughing; where did I get the courage to make jokes to Edward? I guessed my backbone had somewhat returned.

"Let me try," he replied with the confidence of a boy doing something he knows. He easily lifted up the other books and grabbed the biology one.  
"Piece of cake."

"Thanks!" I held out my hand for the book.

"I think I'll have to carry this for you to biology, it doesn't seem like you have enough arm strength…" He laughed and showed me that gorgeous smile of his.

We talked all the way to biology, and even though it was a little awkward, I enjoyed it. By the door, Edward stopped.

"I have gym now, so I should probably head off…"

I realized he had walked me to biology, but the gym was on the other side of school. "Oh, yeah, you don't want to get a mark because of me!"

"Nevermind," he said and pointed to my t-shirt, smiling a smile that hit me with full force and almost knocked me dead. It was sort of crooked, and made his face look heavenly. I shifted my weight from one foot to the other, but dizzy as I was I lost my balance. Edward reached out and steadied me.

"Hey hey, be careful. I don't want you to hurt yourself."

"I'm okay, thanks. And thanks for helping me with my book; it really must have been a heavy burden to carry!" I joked.

"Yeah, I'm exhausted," he joked back. "Today's workout is officially finished."

I giggled, unable to keep the joy inside. "Surely, you must do more workout than that? You're fit you know." I complimented him subtly.

"You think so?" it seemed my compliment was appreciated. I nodded.

"Thanks! By the way," he seemed to make up his mind about something. "My band's playing a concert tomorrow. Um... I was wondering if.. You know. You wanted to come?"

I must have wiped away all his uncertainties, because his face lit up in a big smile when I agreed.  
"I'll see you tomorrow, Bella."

And with that Edward Cullen walked away.

**AN: I tried to make some progress in this chapter, do you think I made it? Be tuned for the next, what will happen at the concert?**


	7. Interlude

**AN: I got a review saying I was killing one of you by not updating, so I figured I had to post something. Originally the chapter is twice as long, but you get this part now and hopefully the rest (the part with the concert) within a few days. Hope this is satisfying enough for a short while, it's more to build up the tension than anything else. If you find it boring, don't hesitate to tell me :)**

**On the other side of the world**

**Chapter 7:** _Bella's plan for getting Edward Cullen - Interlude_

5. Ignore him, to make him confused and to make him want me

Edward:  
I looked at myself in the mirror. I looked decent, looked like the drummer I really was. I wanted to look good tonight, seeing as I had invited Bella to our concert. Even though I hadn't told anyone yet, I had developed a liking for her.  
Whenever she was near, my body did strange things and my knees went weak, making it almost impossible to bear. I didn't know if I had a chance with her, but I was determined to try anything to make her notice me.  
Emmet called me to come and set up my drums and I happily did. I had a feeling inside that tonight would be great.

Bella:  
It worked for Elizabeth Bennet, it worked for Jane Eyre, it worked for Hermione Granger and it worked for Bridget Jones. Angela and I figured a number of fictional heroines could not be mistaken, and therefore decided I should ignore Edward for a short period of time to see what happened. Hopefully he would be jealous and exasperated and realize how much he really wanted me.  
The down side of this was that Angela wanted me to do this part at the concert tonight.  
-

"No, Angela, I'm not doing it!" I all but shouted at her.

"Bella, you really should! It's in the plan!"

"It's not like I have to follow the plan like a slave, is it now?"

"Of course not, but this is the perfect opportunity!"

"NO! It's not the perfect opportunity, it's maybe the worst! Edward himself invited me to the concert; I can't ignore him then, can I?" I said angrily.

"But the plan says so!" Angela picked up the notebook and read out loud. "Bella's plan, part five: Ignore him, to make him confused and to make him want me."

"But why tonight? I can't possibly do that tonight! This might be my chance to get to know him and then I can just skip the ignoring!" I was angry with Angela and she was exasperated, but suddenly she resigned.

"Okay, if you think it's for the best. I can't possibly force you into following the plan, can I?"

"Thank you!" I said with half a smile. "I appreciate it, but even though all the good reasons, I think it could ruin my chances with Edward if I ignore him now. I'll start that on Monday!"

We had been discussing this for half an hour, both of us getting more and more agitated and frustrated by the minute, but at last we smiled at each other.

"We're being silly, you know," Angela stated after a moment. "Why are we fighting over this plan? You should do what your guts tell you. I'm sorry."

"Angs, you're the best." I said and hugged her tightly. "Will you help me get ready for the concert? I'm really nervous and I have no idea what to wear..."

"Have you forgotten about the inspiration book we made?" she replied with an incredulous look on her face.

"It's not that, it's just that I'm way too nervous to think! I don't think I have eaten today either because of the butterflies in my stomach! Seriously, this crush is going to kill me eventually if I can't eat..." I said in a dark tone, and laughed. Angela's face cracked up and we were both laughing with each other, rolling on my bed as so many times before.

I pointed to my closet. "What am I going to wear?"

Angela stood up and opened my closet. She examined a couple of tops and skirts and threw a couple to me. "What about these?"

I shook my head. "Neither speaks to me, you know?"

She laughed a short laugh. "What speaks to you today, then?"

"Uhh..." I thought for a moment. "Black?"

"But that's about the only colour that speaks to you lately! How about a compromise? You wear black jeans and a top with colours?"

"Maybe..." I stalled, but right then my eyes caught sight of something that really spoke to me. My tight black t-shirt with a picture of Pete Doherty and the words: "Fuck me – I'm famous" written in red. I jumped off my bed and caught the shirt from the top of my closet door.

"I'm wearing this!" I exclaimed to Angela's surprise.

"You're wearing that when you're going to hear the guy you like play with his band? Isn't that a bit... wrong?"

I nodded. "Nope. It spoke to me, I have to wear it! If I don't, it'll ruin my mood and I'll be really unpleasant company!"

Angela, who had indeed refused to let me wear something that had "spoken" to me many times, had to agree that I'd get really moody if I had to wear something that didn't fit.  
"But it's black, then you got to wear blue jeans," she said after a moment of thinking. "Agreed?"

I agreed happily and jumped into my slim fit blue jeans and the t-shirt. Angela made my hair and my put on my makeup in 20 minutes, and after twenty more minutes of doing her own, we went downstairs to leave.

"Bella, Angela, where are you going?" Suddenly my mother, Renee, was there in front of us. Her hands on her hips, her hair flowing down her back and a stern look in her eyes.

"We're going to a concert at the café. I told you about it yesterday," I said to her in my most angel-like fashion.  
"Dressed in that?" She pointed to my t-shirt, practically murdering the shirt with her stare. I nodded vaguely. "M-hm."

All of a sudden her face lightened up and she started laughing. "That's my girl! You know, I used to have a shirt just like that! Just don't let your father see it, he probably won't let you out of the house."

I zipped up my jacket while she spoke and looked into the living room to see if he was paying attention. I needn't have worried; he was absorbed in tonight's baseball game.

"Do you girls need a ride?" My mother asked.

Renee was something of an irresponsible mother at times, especially while driving. She loved to drive fast with music streaming out of the speakers. Living with my dad Charlie had, according to him, calmed her down quite a bit. I sometimes thought that if my mother had been wild and crazy before she married Charlie and got me, I was rather happy I didn't know her back then.

To me she was the craziest, and the best, mother alive.

We accepted the ride and mom drove us to the café. While driving she played Sex Pistols on the stereo and chatted about how our lived were different from hers when she was young. She started talking about boys and asked us if we were meeting anyone special tonight. We said, as was the truth, that we were going to hear a band. She nodded knowingly.

"Band guys were always the hottest. Call me if you need me to come pick you up!" With that she dropped us off and drove away.

I stared nervously at the café and Angela, sensing my nervousness, took my hand. "You'll be fine."

Knowing I had Angela by my side, I opened the door, ready for what could be the best night so far in my life.


	8. Change of Mind

**AN: I said I'd post the next chapter in a couple of days, little did I know it was going to take two months to get it posted. I'm really sorry and I'll try to be better at updating when school and work is not so crazy anymore. Hope you enjoy this, though, it's the longest chapter I've ever written.**

**On the Other side of the World**

**Chapter 8:** _Bella's plan for getting Edward Cullen - Change of Mind_

5. Ignore him, to make him confused and to make him want me

The café was crowded with people when we got there. I looked everywhere for a sign of Edward, but big groups of people were blocking my sight wherever I looked.

"I had no idea Eloquent Ellie was such a popular band!" Angela said loudly to me over the buzz of the crowd.

"Me neither," I replied. "Maybe I wasn't anything special; maybe Edward invited half of the girls in school here!" I suddenly said when I spotted Jessica in the crowd. She gave me a little wave, I smiled back at her.

"I don't think Edward invited all these girls. Anyways, your invitation means more because you were invited by Edward, Alice and Emmet! You don't even know them and managed to get three invitations! That's almost rude to all the other girls here who don't have your charm."

I smiled at her. "Angs, you're the best, I hope you know that!"

"Thanks! Ooh," she added. "I think someone's trying to get in contact with you."

I turned in the direction of her gaze and saw the tiny, fairy-like Alice jumping up and down, waving her hands over her head. When I looked at her she waved even more enthusiastically and smiled.  
"Come here," she mouthed while summoning me. Angela and I made our way over to her, Emmet and Jasper through all the people, an amount that had increased a lot the last minutes.

"Hey Alice, what's up?" I asked casually, hoping to catch a glimpse of Edward soon. "Guys, this is my friend Angela."

Alice and the boys introduced themselves to Angela before Alice turned to me.  
"I was just thinking that I really like your shirt!"  
"Thank you," I replied happily.

"I also wanted to ask you a question. We're having a discussion, and we're wondering how you think Michael Jackson died?"  
"Murdered!" was the united answer from Angela and me.

"I think the doctor did it," Alice said. "But Edward thinks – yeah, where is Edward?" She looked around the room without locating him and I was disappointed that I didn't know who Edward thought had killed Michael Jackson.

"He's with Jessica," Jasper said and my insides turned to ice. I immediately wanted to mysteriously sink into the floor and never return to the surface. Why was I so stupid as to think Edward would mean something with inviting me to their concert? He had probably realized that I liked him and now he wanted to rub in my face that he wasn't interested and had a perfectly good relationship with Jessica at the moment, thank you very much. Angela touched my arm, keeping us close together to support me.

"She wanted to speak to him, alone." He emphasized the last word, making it long and suggestive and raising an eyebrow in almost a mocking gesture that surprised me.  
"WHAT?" Alice's voice was sharp against the buzz surrounding us and I was thrown out of my thoughts. "He's with her?"

Jasper nodded. "Dunno why, though, he said earlier today that he was really tired of her clinging to him like a bee on a jar of jam."

"Maybe we should go rescue him?" Emmet suggested.

Alice squealed. "Bella, I can introduce you to him like I promised! I think you'll really like him, and I think you're more his type than Jessica."  
"I sort of know Edward a little," I said. "We've spoken a few times."

"Even better! You come with me and look for Edward, Angela you can go with Jasper and Emmet."

I saw Emmet look at Angela with an interested look in his eyes before he smiled, grabbed her wrist and made his way after Jasper who had already disappeared in the crowd. Alice turned to me.  
"Let's get going, I don't want my dear brother to get his face eaten by Jessica Stanley!" She shuddered and smiled at me.

We wove our way through the room, but Edward was nowhere to be found.  
"Maybe he's backstage," I suggested. We went backstage, and from the hall directly behind the stage we heard voices. We walked silently to the corner and peeked around. There was Edward and Jessica, making out. I blinked and felt thoroughly empty inside. Alice gasped.

Suddenly Edward tore away from Jessica and looked at her with an angry glare.  
"What was that for? I told you just a minute ago that I'm not interested in you in that way! I wish you would respect that."

"But Edward," Jessica said with a pout. "Why not? We're perfect together!"

"I think," Edward's tone was ice cold, "that in order for something to be perfect, both parts have to agree that it's perfect. In this case, you're alone. I think we should take a break from each other." He added the last part in a kinder tone before he walked away, leaving her standing alone in the hall.

Alice and I walked silently out into the café again, just in time to see Edward exit from the other backstage entrance.  
"Edward!" Alice yelled and waved at him. "Come here!"

Edward turned and walked towards us, a smile on his lips and agony in his eyes. "Hey, what did you want?" he addressed Alice.  
"Have you met Bella?" she asked him. "She's your – I mean OUR biggest fan!"  
I looked at her incredulously. What was she doing?

"Yes, I believe we have met," he smiled at me, now with his entire self. "You're our biggest fan?"

"Umph. I don't know about that, but I really like your music. It makes me happy, and your lyrics are great!"

"Show her, show her, show her!" Alice was bouncing up and down next to me.

"No, she probably doesn't want to see it."

"Bella, you're into lyrics and stuff like that?"

"Mhm," I said vaguely, but then I decided to go for it. "Actually, I'd really like to become a lyricist."

"GREAT!" Alice screamed. "Now, show her, Edward!"

"If you want to?" he asked me.  
"I guess," I smiled back at him.

"Don't be too long, we're up in ten minutes," Alice said to him. "I have to go find the others. See you later, Bella!"

Edward and I walked backstairs again, it was a bit awkward because I didn't want to bring up the matter of Jessica, but that was the matter on my mind. He went over to their instruments and picked up the bag for his drum sticks. Out of it he pulled a ragged –looking notebook and handed it to me.

"What's this?" I asked.

"Open it and see," he said, looking somewhat shy.

I opened the book and was met by a wondrous sight. Page upon page of song lyrics, decorated with little drawings.

"Are these your work?" I asked him, astonished.

He nodded modestly. "I write most of the lyrics for our band. Most of what I write we don't use, though."

"Can I read them some time?"

He hesitated a bit. "I guess..." then he lightened up. "Maybe you can help me? On stuff that needs improvement and so on?"

"You're a much better writer than I am, but I'll take it as an excuse to read your work," I laughed.

A few minutes later, Angela and I were standing in front of the stage, listening to the guys playing. Alice's voice was pure and clean and she was playing follow the leader with the guitar. Sometimes she let Emmet give all and sometimes she let all go and poured all her emotion into every single word she was singing. The riffs flowed into my ears and got stuck there, lifting me into the world of ecstasy, the rhythm made its way into my body and I felt the beat from my head to my toes.

In some strange way, however, none of this mattered as much as it did the last time I heard Eloquent Ellie live. Tonight, my eyes and my focus was on the boy behind the drums, watching his bronze hair bob up and down as he played, his muscles playing on his arms and his hands frantically beating the rhythm, breaking it, catching it again as he drove the music on.

I looked into his face and saw, through all the smoke and lights that his eyes had found me. He smiled, I smiled, he blinked at me and my heart lost the beat of the music and started pounding away at a much faster pace. I looked away shyly, looked back again a moment later and met his gaze again. I blinked, and this time he was the one to look away. I looked at the others in the band, Jasper was grinning at Edward.

Through the concert, Edward and I continued our little game. Every once in a while our eyes would meet and we'd blink and blush and smile at each other, but both us still with focus on the music. I thought to myself that if my connection with Edward was this strong when we both were focusing on other things, how magical wouldn't it be if we only had to focus on each other?  
My thoughts wandered to a dark corner at an after-gig-party, with Edward and me together.

I was cruelly ripped out of my thoughts by Angela, who nudged me in the side. She leaned closer and half whispered;  
"That guy, Emmet, he's pretty good looking."

I turned to look at her. "What did you say?"

"I said that Emmet is pretty good looking." She smiled, almost embarrassed.

"Wow, I never expected that! I wouldn't have guessed he was your type."

"Then what would you say is my type?" she asked, surprised.

"More like... Ben Cheney?" I tried. Angela just laughed at me.

"Ben's nice, but that's all he is. I want a guy who's a bit rougher around the edges you know? More of a bad boy. More like Emmet."

I was surprised, but all my thoughts were wiped away when Alice yelled out over the loud applause and cheering.  
"Thank you for being here tonight, you were an amazing audience!"

With that, all of the band members bowed and left stage. Suddenly I was nervous of what was to come.

I needn't have worried, the rest of the night passed in a pleasant blur. A DJ took over the stage and played awesome dance music. I spent what felt like hours on the dance floor, dancing with a mix of random people I had never met before and people I knew, like Angela, Alice and Edward. It was during our second dance that he suggested we go and sit down. We joined the rest of the band and Angela by a table after buying ourselves sodas at the bar.

The conversation went smoothly and the laughter was never far away. I laughed so hard I had to support myself on Edward's shoulder when Emmet said that Alice looked like a drunken ballerina on stage, and Alice "accidentally" let it slip that Emmet's favourite t-shirt had a teddy bear on it.

What made the evening even better was that Jessica was nowhere in sight. Alice said that she thought Jessica was ignoring Edward.  
"I think you're right," Edward said. "Jessica's been ignoring me all night, but frankly, I couldn't be happier."

"I don't know why girls think that ignoring us is going to make us want them more," Jasper said thoughtfully. "All it does is make them seem like such ice queens, and that is never a good thing. It's just so silly."

"Yeah, if a girl likes me, I'd want her to tell me!" Edward agreed.

I looked at Angela, who looked like she was somewhere between being very surprised and trying hard not to laugh. She shook her head at me, laughter in her eyes, and I shook my head back to show her that I agreed. I wouldn't ignore Edward, knowing how he felt about that technique in boy fishing.

It was only now that I realized she was sitting on Emmet's lap. She shot me a glance and smiled shyly with a blush staining her cheeks. I leaned over Edward's lap and whispered in her ear; "That's a nice catch."  
She blushed even more and replied that she thought so too. All of a sudden something took hold of the back of my shirt and yanked me back. Edward had pulled me back into my chair with a funny expression on his face.

"Bella, it'd be nice if I could see Jasper when I speak to him..." he hinted.  
"I'm sorry, didn't mean to –"

"Edward, you could see me nicely over her head!" Jasper said with a gleam in his eye. "Maybe there was a different reason why you didn't want Bella in your lap?" His eyes travelled Edwards face, searching for a reaction.

Embarrassment was obvious in his voice when Edward told him that no, there was no other reason. Suddenly I realized what he had been implying and blood rushed to my face. I tried to conceal it by looking away, but when I looked back Alice was looking at me, grinning.

"Don't worry," she said. I thought she was going to tell me it was just a joke, but then she added; "It's completely natural!"

Edward jumped up. "Isn't it a bit hot in here? Anyone want to go outside?"

Nobody reacted apart from me, so Edward and I went outside in the dark night.

"Sorry about Jasper and Alice. Sometimes they can be really annoying like that," he said in a slow voice, carefully conducting his words.  
"Don't worry about it, a little teasing never hurt anyone?"

He looked at me from the corner of his eyes, a smile playing around his mouth. His expression and the playfulness in his eyes made my breath hitch in my throat. He was hot, no doubt about that.  
We walked around the block, talking about everything and nothing, and when we got back people were starting to leave the café.

"Maybe I should get home..." I said when I saw Angela come through the door with my jacket in her hand. "I'll call my mom!" I called over at her.

"I could drive you, if you'd like." Edward said while looking me straight in the eyes. I felt dizziness creaping up on me and took a deep, calming breath.

"Really? You would do that?"

"Sure, I'm driving Emmet also, no problem driving you and Angela."  
"Thank you so much, that's really nice!" I replied and passed the message to Angela.

"I'm calling shotgun," Emmet said from behind my back when we reached the car.

"But who's going to keep me warm in the back seat then?" Angela asked Emmet with a flirty pout. I was astounded; Angela really knew how to flirt. Emmet blinked, and for a moment he looked confused, but then he exchanged looks with Edward and climbed into the back seat with Angela.

I preferred to take the front seat instead of sitting in the back with Emmet and Angela. Edward put on some music that I recognized at once. I sang with Kurt as he sang the opening notes of "Where did you sleep last night?" Edward looked at me with his brows furrowed.  
"You know this song?"

"Do I know this song? I know this entire album. I know all the albums!"

He looked impressed. "Nirvana's a favourite of yours?"

"Yes, maybe my all time favourite, even."  
He smiled again. "Mine too!"

During that evening I had learned more about Edward than I had ever learnt about any person before in one night. Not only did we share a passion for Nirvana and Kurt Cobain, we both disliked Kiss and football and would rather have eaten by beetles than wear pearl earrings.

When we reached my house and I reached for the door handle, I felt his hand upon mine. I turned, only to get lost in his deep green eyes.  
"I was wondering if you'd like to... hang out sometime? I could show you my lyrics or something."

My heart beat faster with every word he said, I couldn't believe this moment that I had been imagining for weeks was finally happening.  
"I'd love to! When is sometime?"

"I don't know, are you busy this weekend?"

"No plans yet."

"How about Sunday then?"

I didn't want to wait for Sunday. If it was my choice, he'd come for a sleepover right now. But I wasn't sure that was a good idea, and my parents definitely wouldn't approve. Therefore I took the second best opinion.

"Why not tomorrow? Then we can go into town and hang out at the marina, eat ice cream..."  
"I'd love to."


End file.
